A State Rarity Rank of S3S4 means: Vulnerable in New York, or Apparently Secure - Vulnerable to becoming imperiled in New York, with relatively few populations or locations, few individuals, and/or restricted range; or uncommon but not rare in New York; may be rare in some parts of the state; possibly some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors. More information is needed to assign a single conservation status.

Global Rarity Rank:G4

A Global Rarity Rank of G4 means: Apparently secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Did you know?
The resin of balsam fir trees is used to produce Canada balsam, a turpentine primarily used as an invisible-when-dry glue for glass, including optics and microscope slides. The resin was also traditionally used as a cold remedy and, during the Civil War, it was made into an ointment used on combat injuries. The wood is used for paper manufacture and is also a popular Christmas tree.

There are several hundred occurrences statewide, but very few are currently documented by New York Natural Heritage. A few documented occurrences have good viability and a few are protected on public land or private conservation land. This community is limited to the northern portion of the state and is concentrated in the Central Adirondacks where there are several very large, high quality examples. The current trend of this community is probably stable for occurrences on public land and private conservation land, or declining slightly elsewhere due to moderate threats related to development pressure, recreational overuse, and to a lesser extent logging.

The number and acreage of balsam flats in New York have probably remained stable at protected sites or declined slightly elsewhere in recent decades as a result of logging, agriculture, and other development.